Flex alert extended for Labor Day, rolling blackouts are likely per Cal-ISO

A flex alert has been issued for the entire state of California for Labor Day afternoon and officials warn that Monday could see rolling blackouts across the Southland. 

With no end in sight for the extreme heat wave, the reliance for energy appliances is more dire than its been this year and that's taking a toll on the state's power grids. 

As a result, California Iso has issued a flex alert for 4 p.m. through 10 p.m. on Monday. 

"Starting tomorrow, this multi-day event is going to get much more intense," Cal Iso president and CEO Elliot Mainzer said. "We are facing a load forecast of 48,817 megawatts and energy deficits between 2,000 and 4,000 megawatts for Monday, resulting in the highest likelihood of rotating outages we have seen so far this summer."

It will be the sixth-straight day that a flex alert has been issued for California. Residents are urged to cut down their electricity use, avoid using major appliances and turn off all unnecessary lights.

Moreover, the flex alert is just another byproduct of the heatwave that has distressed Southern California for a week. 

Nancy Hasson, owner of Casa de Flores said the cooler in her Sherman Oaks flower shop is more than 20 degrees warmer than it is supposed to be because of the extreme heat that's punishing Southern California.

Now, she's concerned about the possibility of blackouts.

"Fresh flowers obviously need cooler temperatures survive," Hasson told CBSLA Monday. "When the power goes out basically I have to close my business." 

And the excessive heat warning has been extended until at least 8 p.m. Friday for Orange County coastal and inland areas, including valleys in San Bernardino and Riverside, and the Santa Ana mountains and foothills.

On Sunday, the heat got so bad that it was 97 degrees in Pacific Palisades where CBSLA Reporter Lauren Pozen talked to beachgoers.

During the alerts, residents are urged to take power-saving steps such as:

-- setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher;

-- avoiding use of major appliances;

-- turning off unnecessary lights; and

-- avoid charging electric vehicles.

Residents are also advised to pre-cool their homes as much as possible and close blinds and drapes to keep interiors cool.

A Flex Alert is the lowest-level notification issued by Cal-ISO, but if voluntary conservation fails to cut strain on the power grid, the agency could move into a series of emergency alerts that could ultimately lead to rolling blackouts.

In:
• Heat Wave